Locked In
by Pemonynen
Summary: Recently married and in the middle of their first argument, it takes a room with a lock and an interfering parent to get Mary and Matthew talking again.


_A/N: So a bit of explantion about this (and the three others I'm also going to post at the same time). They are the product of conversations on tumblr and twitter, where I have been challenged to write an M/M story with a given prompt. I did debate between publishing them as chapters in one single 'story', but have decided to post them as the individual one-shots that they are, partly because they're not related to each other, and partly because the rating rockets up for one of them..._

_I'll be putting 'TCF' (Tumblr Challenge Fic) in the story description so you'll know why it has appeared (and there's a good chance that there may be more after these four!)_._ Also, there are no infringements etc. intended, and...no spoilers!_

_This one came about in a random conversation on tumblr, during which I was challenged by ambotherambo to write something about Mary and Matthew with my prompt being a quote from Means Girls...and this is what I came up with!  
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_Enjoy!  
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><p><strong>Locked in<strong>

"Oh Mary, there's a book on the desk in the study, would you mind getting it for me? I just need to go upstairs." Isobel watched her daughter-in-law carefully as she voiced her request, noticing the slight flinch on the word study. She knew she shouldn't interfere, but it was getting ridiculous. They hadn't spoken in three days.

Fixing her brightest, falsest smile, Mary replied, "of course. I'll bring it up to you." She took a deep breath and smoothed her skirt before heading to the study. _His_ room. She really didn't want to go in but it would look odd if she had refused, even though she knew that the whole house knew they weren't speaking. God, the whole village probably knew by now. And it was over something so stupid as well. That's what stung, that it was a nothing blown out of proportion into a something. And now it was tense and lonely at night since he'd taken to sleeping in his dressing room. She sighed as she reached the door. She could not have walked those few feet more slowly if she'd tried. Yet as horrible as she felt, there was no way she was going to be the first to apologise, even if they did have that wretched dinner that evening.

"Yes?" He didn't want to be disturbed. It was probably his mother. Or Anna. Or Molesley. Asking if he wanted some tea. Which he didn't. He just wanted to be left alone to get on with his work. Well, really, if he was being honest with himself, he actually wanted to barge into the sitting room and take Mary up to their bedroom and show her how sorry he was. He was certain that they were equally to blame, but he also knew that she wouldn't make the first move. He sighed. Why was she so stubborn? Maybe he should just wait until she apologised. Although that could take years. He was hit by an overwhelming sadness. In three months of marriage, this was the first argument they'd had. They hadn't even argued during their engagement. The door opened, breaking him out of his reverie. He turned his head a fraction and out of the corner of his eye he saw…his wife. His heart started thudding. She walked over to the bookcase next to his desk, letting the door close behind her. He looked back down at his papers, trying to ignore everything her very presence made him feel. Traitorous anatomy.

She was trying to remain calm, but when he wasn't wearing a jacket, and his shirt pulled across his shoulders as he leaned forwards, she struggled to remember why they weren't currently upstairs. She glanced around and there on the edge of the desk was the book she presumed Isobel had wanted. How odd that a medical book should be left… Ah. Really, were they not to be trusted to sort it out themselves? She swallowed and picked up the book, trying hard to resist brushing against his arm. She reached the door and turned the handle but found it was stuck. She rattled it a few more times before sighing loudly. He turned and looked at her as she pulled at the handle.

"What's the matter?" Matthew was frustrated, and not just because she couldn't seem to open a door.

"The handle is stuck," she sighed loudly. He crossed the room to her side, tried it himself, before dropping to his knees and looking through the keyhole.

"We've been locked in," he muttered. He stood and banged his hand against the door. "Mother! Let us out this instant!"

"No. You two are acting like children and I am not letting you out until you're speaking to each other! I don't care if it takes all night!"

"But we have to leave at four!" He knew he sounded like a petulant child, and out of the corner of his eye, he saw Mary's head drop as she tried to hide her smile.

"Well I'll keep you locked in there until four!"

"MOTHER!" He banged his hand against the door again, but to no avail…she had already walked off. He turned and ran his hand through his hair, and Mary could no longer contain her laughter. He spun to look at her, still feeling so angry, until he saw the smile and the bright eyes and was suddenly filled with so much love that he couldn't help smiling either. Soon they were both laughing hysterically. He met her gaze and suddenly the air around them shifted.

He closed the space between them in a second, pushing her hard against the door in a deep and passionate kiss, sliding his hands around her waist. She was momentarily stunned and let the book drop to the floor with a thud, before wrapping her arms around his neck and pulling him closely to her with a soft moan. This was more than an apology…

Isobel left it an hour before going and standing outside the door, suppressing a smile at what she heard. She twisted the key as quietly as she could, not that they were listening by the sounds of it, and decided to give them another hour before interrupting them, smiling again as she dismissed the servants for the afternoon.

_Fin._

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><p><em>Any feedback is always appreciated! Thanks for reading!<em>


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